“Eighty-nine percent of those who haggled were rewarded at least once. Successful furniture hagglers saved $300 on average, as did those who questioned a health-related charge. Those who challenged their cellphone plans saved $80.”

Buy only what you need now

Reverse your thinking. You’re probably used to shopping sales to stock up on good deals, whether on pet food or a new TV. That can be great if you truly need those items. But not now.

Now, walk as gingerly through the grocery store as you would through a swamp full of alligators. Try making several small trips instead of one big weekly stock-up.

Use your steely nerves to ignore sales, unless the sale items fit into your weekly meal plan. It may help to know that the average American family spends $151 a week on food, according to this Gallup poll.

Eight percent spend less than $50; 10 percent spend more than $300 a week.

Use a list. Prepare before hopping in the car to do errands. Buy nothing that’s not on your list.

Use prepaid cards. Tame spending by loading a prepaid card with only the amount you can spend.

For example, set a weekly budget, load up the card and when you’ve reached the limit you’re done spending until next week.

Grab a basket. Stop automatically taking a cart when you enter a store.

Make these winning recipes. Try Food52‘s ”Your Best Dirt Cheap Dinner” contest winners (scroll down for the recipes). Try recipes from NPR’s “How Low Can You Go” family supper challenge.

We have our ownFrugal Family Feast recipes for dinners you can make for $15 or less to feed a family of four — and have leftovers.

“Shop” at home. Prepare meals from boxes and cans of food already on your kitchen shelves. Make a game out of making great meals from what you’ve got on hand. CookWithWhatYouHave has ideas and recipes.

Bonus tips

Cutting spending will help, but so will earning some extra income. Capitalize on your newfound time by cleaning out closets and cupboards.